How to make a Cat Cape, an aid to medicating your cat.

A simple aid for medicating your pet cat. This low cost pet medication aid should save your hands from a lot of damage while you provide your cat care. Applying medications to your pets eyes, nose, or throat will be much easier.  We usually coral our cat between our knees one person holds the cat firmly trying to make sure the front paws do not come up and rip us apart, which has happened many times.  One of our cats manages to get ear mites frequently, it is very difficult to medicate both ears before she can squirm away.  The ear mite medication requires refrigeration which must make it very uncomfortable for the cat. The cat cape will not solve the problem of cold medicine but it will help you control your cat and avoid injury. If you need to give your cat medication perhaps the cat cape will be for you.

Before you start

Before you start let your cat(s) become familiar with the material, perhaps for several days.  If you place the black side up near a window they will have found nirvana, a nice toasty spot on a sunny day to soak up the rays; that is what cats live for, except of course, food.  Our cat (RIP), eyeing up a warm afternoon snooze.

The material is very important

I purchased faux-leather from JoAnn's.  This material is black and very smooth on one side and the backing is a white cloth like material.  This is going to be a Cat Cape, but this cape will have the nice side facing the cat.  We are going to make a cape that will completely surround the cat, with only his/her head protruding through a small round hole in the material.  The smooth, tough side being inward should make it very difficult for the cat's claws to get a "purchase", or hold, on the material, making it much easier to hold your cat while medicating, at least around the cats head. 

The overall dimensions

I purchased 2 yards of the faux-leather material.  Since the goal is to completely cover a sitting or even supine cat, I cut a piece that was about 32" by 54", perhaps yours should be bigger, if you have a very large cat.

The hole for the cat's neck

I folded the material in half so it is 16" x 54".  I measured in 16" from a long end, and this will be where I cut a semicircle so that when the material is unfolded there will be a nice round hole for the cat's neck.  As you can see I found some measuring cups and dough forms useful to demarcate the semicircle to cut.  I used a rolling knife on top of a proper cutting pad; I would not roll that knife directly on a counter top.

So it is easy to fit the cat with the cape

I also cut from the end about 14" or so to the new hole, so you can just walk up behind your cat and surround it with the cape, smooth side in, in this case the black side.  While I don't show this, the slit in the cape could be closed with Velcro strips and perhaps even a collar could be sewn to the cape allowing you freer use of your hands when medicating.  Some brush their pet's teeth and this cape could help avoid some of the mess!

With the cape in place

With the cape in place it should be easier to control your cat without the possibility of the cat ripping you apart, (which they are prone to do when you medicate them).

Yet another suggestion

Set another piece of the faux leather smooth side up on the floor where you will attempt to medicate your cat, especially on carpet where this will provide a surface from which your cat will not be able to attain much traction.  Also pets do tend to shed when you stress them this way, so the two capes, especially the one on the floor should help avoid some mess.

Thanks,
Bob

Date created: 23 Jun 2003

Date revised: 10/22/2016

Some useful links:

• waltham.com  An interesting source of pet care information.
• mypetstop.com General pet information web site.

Our pets from the past (RIP).

We now have two dogs, one we found abandoned in field at about two months old, and the other at 8 years old, had been at the SPCA for almost a year!  Their both doing well these days.

This page last updated 10/22/2016